Woman Hollering Creek Characters

Characters Discussed

Lucy Anguiano (ahn-gee-AH-noh), a lively, dark-skinned Texas girl. She inspires the young female protagonist and narrator in “My Lucy Friend Who Smells Like Corn” to depict their experiences of growing up. Lucy’s voice joins those of the narrator and others, re-creating a childhood world full of smells, sounds, and colors. Lucy and her many sisters fulfill the narrator’s desire to experience intimate sisterhood and true friendship.

Salvador

Salvador, a boy in “Salvador Late or Early” who experiences poverty and the hardships of life at an early age. He is always busy helping his mother and his younger brothers.

Micaela

Micaela (mee-kah-EH-lah), a young and playful Mexican American girl, the protagonist and narrator in “Mericans.” Her Mexican “awful grandmother,” who embodies severe religious piety, makes Micaela and her brothers Alfredito and Enrique wait at the entrance of a church while she prays. Micaela depicts with innocence and humor the world of penitents around her and the people’s devotion to the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Rachel

Rachel, the young narrator of “Eleven,” who expresses the painful feelings of growing up. On her eleventh birthday, Rachel’s teacher unjustly humiliates her in class, causing her distress. Rachel wants to leave childhood behind, hoping to become older and wiser; she realizes, however, that the child within remains forever.

Chaq Uxmal Paloquín

Chaq Uxmal Paloquín (chahk ewj-MAHL pah-loh-KEEN), Boy Baby, a thirty-seven-year-old Mexican man who initiates the protagonist and narrator of “One Holy Night” into the mysteries of female sexuality. In a confidential tone, the eighth-grade narrator reveals how the mysterious man, claiming to be a descendant of Mayan kings, seduces her and makes her believe that she is his queen...